Rear shocks

Yes I already replaced the drums and I am just trying to get it back together to get it into my school shop so I can then do more work

 

Yep, OME CS406R A/B

Old pic before I threw mine on -

 

I put together a comprehensive list of bilsteins if you are looking at those:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-tacoma-rear-shock-info-aftermarket.793217/

 

@Kwikvette

EDIT: Sorry, after posting I realized this was a discussion for 1st Gens
Noob questions for you:
I have OME EL111R leaf pack which "gives 2" of lift" paired with an extended RCD version of the Bilstein 5100 shock; says online that it is meant for vehicles with 4" of lift (https://performancelifts.com/rcd-bilstein-toyota-rear-shock-f4-be5-b110-t5.html). From what I've seen that shock has 10" of travel.

My question is: what shocks are viable options for 12" or 14" shocks? I have had trouble finding this information online. Would I just use a 14" shock from Bilstein (for the sake of this question) that is manufactured for a totally different truck? I don't want a full long-travel setup for my rear, but I would like to have a 12"/14" mid-travel setup. Do I need to get longer leaf springs? or can I use OE size but more leafs? Lastly, where does rear lift come from - exclusively dependent on the leaf pack or does the paired shock affect the lift?

On my current setup OME EL111R + Bilstein RCD F4-BE5-B110-T5, I get 24.5" from wheel hub to fender (3" of lift); is this because my leaf pack is carrying no extra weight? or does the larger than OE shock add 1" of lift?

If someone has a thread I could look through that would help me figure out this information, that would be much appreciated.

Also, these pictures are from when I 'flex tested' my truck with a forklift. When the picture was taken, I still had about 1-1.5" of clearance between the rear bump stop - but if I lifted any higher, my rear wheel would come off the ground. The Tape measure says 15.25" btw; curious what people who know more than I do would say about these pictures.

 

The link you posted says the shock you have is 10.94" travel, let's just call that 11". How much shock travel is left before hitting the bump stops?

 

Assuming your not using up all of your shock travel, you'll have the same wheel travel you currently have with a 12-14" shock in the oem location. Dumb it down for me, what are you looking to do?

 

I didn't measure with tape, but eyeballing it I'd say around 1.5"

I'm trying to figure out if I want to pursue a rear shock relocation to toss a 12"/14" shock in there. Wondering what I would gain from doing so vs. my current setup (is it worth the ~4k)?

Another, maybe dumb, question: Let's say I move forward with a relocation & 12"/14" shock in the rear, do I need to purchase "extended travel" front shocks (such as the options from King/Fox) aswell? Or would I be able to run my current setup (5100s, SPC UCAs, OME 887 springs) with that rear upgrade without any issues? If the answer is something along the lines of "you can but it's not recommended," would I be able to run my current front setup w/ the new rear setup until I recharged my wallet to upgrade my front to a pair of extended travels from King/Fox?

Thanks fellas

 

If you aren't using up your entire shock travel a 12"‐14" shock and a relocate would be pointless as your leaf pack is your limiting factor. So, if you are maxing out your shock yes a relocate and a longer stroke shock would be beneficial. On the other hand, if you're not using all of your shock travel and still want a longer shock and a relocate I would also reccomend changing your leaf set up.

Your front setup would not need any changes

 

... 4k for a rear shock relocation!? What is the intended use here? High speed / desert or max travel crawler? I could understand / rationalize a through bed stock relation for high speed desert mega hucks, but I did my crawler focused relocation for cost of the shocks, some raw metal, and laser cut shock tabs- ~250-300 bucks (15 years ago, so adjust for inflation... interestingly, I bet the laser cut parts are cheaper, and the metal and shocks are more expensive. It was VERY rare to get nice parts back then)

I followed the most common relocation at the time- added a cross member between the rear frame rails with some gussets between the frame rails, then angled the shocks in a / \ style. welded the upper tabs to the new square tube cross member, and lower tabs to the axle as close to the spring perches as I could.

If you go for it on this- you gotta get a better leaf pack. The stock pack is only going to flex so much... something like the Deavers flex a SHIT TON more. once you have a good pack, you gotta sort out your shock mount locations. THEN and ONLY then, can you measure your extended and collapsed dimensions. Be aware that you might need to get different bump stops and add limit straps so not go outside of the bounds of the shocks.

Pro-tip: leaf springs make a HUGE difference in travel. Going to an /\ setup will add travel with the OEM springs, but you're missing a solid 3-4" droop compared to J59s.